Central Asia's vaccination campaigns will be patchy

Significance

Vaccination, procurement and limited local production are in train but face many systemic obstacles. One state, Turkmenistan, claims it has never had a COVID-19 case, while Tajikistan says it has wiped out the virus.

Impacts

• Kyrgyzstan's government has ordered action to ready the healthcare system for a possible COVID-19 'third wave'.
• The fall in remittances from migrant workers in Russia leaves Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan doubly vulnerable to the pandemic's consequences.
• The unacknowledged COVID-19 crisis will compound the economic hardship facing Turkmenistan's residents.